New Archive of Ballet West Memorabilia set to Open

Friends of the Marriott Library Present Lecture and Exhibition

Jan. 10, 2013 – A rich archive of photographs, letters, stage sets and ephemera spanning Ballet West’s 50 years of creative production will be on exhibit at the University of Utah J. Willard Marriott Library through February. Additionally the public is invited to a lecture and reception on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013.

The new Willam Christensen Ballet West Archive was donated by the children of Ballet West founder Willam Christensen.

A reception and public lecture—Willam Christensen and 50 Years of Ballet West—will be held to celebrate the acquisition. The lecture will be moderated by KUER’s Ken Verdoia and will feature Ballet West’s artistic director Adam Sklute, ballet master Bruce Caldwell, professor emeritus and former principal ballerina Barbara Hamblin, and Christensen’s daughter Roxanne Lazzara.

The lecture will be followed by a tour of the Ballet West exhibition and refreshments. The event is free and open to the public.

The lecture will be held at the University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Library, Gould Auditorium (level 1). Parking is available in the bookstore lot, west of the library. http://www.lib.utah.edu/info/directions.php . Additional parking is available in the student union and stadium lots. The lecture begins at 3:00 p.m. and tours of the exhibition follow at 4:00 p.m.

Contact Judy Jarrow for more information on the lecture and to schedule a group visit. judy.jarrow@utah.edu and 801-581-3421.

Christensen (1902 – 2001) was a noted dancer, teacher, and founder of the San Francisco Ballet Company. He returned to his native Utah and in 1951 founded at the University of Utah one of the first ballet programs at an American university. As faculty was developed and the curriculum grew, the excellence of the program served as the foundation for other university ballet programs.

Faculty and graduates of the U’s Ballet Department were fundamental in the formation and growth of Ballet West, Utah’s major professional ballet company.

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